The Replicator
by shadowblade-tara
Summary: Shadows Within Saga. The team has an admirer who somehow knows exactly what they are. There is no way this can end well.
1. Chapter 1

Criminal Minds © CBS

Part 13 of the Shadows Within series. Inspired by the newest episodes of Criminal Minds, but with a twist.

My thanks to Idril Isil Gilgalad for helping me with the Spanish that appears in this chapter. Because I suck at Spanish, despite having taken two semesters of it.

**The Replicator**

As a rule, the team tries to avoid rituals and habits. Such things makes it easier for a person to be tracked, and considering the nature of their job and the need to protect the boys, certain measures are just taken. Still, everyone has habits.

For Derek Morgan, it's getting coffee at a particular coffee shop every Saturday morning. He makes sure to show up at different times, but he still goes. It's partly because of the cute barista that speaks mostly Spanish and is extremely shy. It's mostly because of the awesome coffee. Today he decides to grab two cups – he's taking Reid to a speed dating event (mostly for the company) and figures the kid will appreciate a caffeine hit.

"Senor Morgan?" The barista hands him a small fragment of paper. "For you." Morgan takes the paper from her and unfolds it. Written across it in a messy half-cursive scrawl is a word that makes all thoughts of speed-dating and finding Reid a girlfriend go out the window.

_Reader._

Morgan looks up at the barista. "Who gave this to you?"

The barista shakes her head. "No me dijo su nombre. Era muy alto y de ojos azules." She shrugs. "Lo siento."

Morgan shakes his head. "Don't worry about it. If you see him again, tell him I got his message." She nods. Morgan pays for his coffee – with a generous tip – and leaves the coffee shop. He doesn't bother grabbing his phone or even looking around to see if he's being followed. The last thing he wants is to give this asshole the pleasure of seeing him scared.

Instead, he gets in his car and reaches out for Hotch.

_We have a problem._

_I know. Come back to the mansion. We'll swap stories there._

Morgan sends back an affirmative. _I need to get Reid. He was gonna meet me –_

_Reid's here. Come back._

_Okay._

They swap stories. They each received a note with the same scrawled out word – that damning word, Reader. The same term that Castiel used to describe Reid. Reid's note is different. For him, this stalker is not content to just call him out – he must add insult to injury. His simply reads _Freak among freaks_. This doesn't make Reid as angry as it does Hotch; then again, the senior agent has always had a protective streak of the kid a mile wide.

The team decides to keep it to themselves. After all, there's no way they can tell Strauss without letting her know everything, and no one can ever know. Bobby and Castiel know, but one's a hunter and one's an angel, and they're pretty trustworthy. Hotch and JJ tell the boys to keep a close eye out for anyone following them. For a week, everything seems normal.

Then the photos start showing up. Photos of their old apartments, having dinner together, Reid at the bookstore, Garcia visiting a computer shop, JJ and Prentiss at the spa. There's no pictures of them at the mansion, and the general consensus is that this unsub doesn't know where the mansion is. That means he must have a job that prevents him from following them home.

All it takes is one picture of Jack and Henry walking home from school to show up in the mail, and Hotch and JJ send them out of state to Hotch's sister-in-law's house. He's not afraid of the unsub targeting his team (he'd almost think this was funny if the asshole wasn't being so damn clever about it) but he's not taking any chances with the boys.

They stick together. They go to work together, taking as few cars as possible. Strauss notices this strange new behavior, and when she confronts Hotch on it, he simply tells her as much as he can without mentioning the notes. Needless to say, she's not pleased.

"And you didn't think to tell me about this?"

"Ma'am, this unsub hasn't shown the inclination to do anything other than take pictures. We've removed the children from the situation. Until he does something other than send pictures, there's really nothing you can do."

So this routine continues for another three weeks. They get used to seeing pictures show up in their PO boxes every day. Then things change again.

Reid receives only one picture. It's of him, getting into the van with Rossi (he remembers the day it was taken), but Rossi has been completely cut from the picture. On the back is written yet another scrawled message –

_Step 1: Isolation._

Reid makes it a point not to let it bother him. He clamps down on the icy fear so none of the others can sense it.

He should have known Hotch will not be fooled. He corners Reid as soon as he gets back to the mansion and guides him into Hotch's room, shutting the door and locking it. The others make a point not to listen in. Reid knows what they're doing. They're trying to let him save face. He sits down on Hotch's bed and doesn't look at the older man.

Hotch kneels in front of him. "Reid?"

"He's targeting the one he thinks is the weakest." Reid says automatically. "He's trying to pick us off, one by one."

Hotch snorts. "In that case, he picked the wrong agent." He reaches out and grabs Reid's hand. "But that's not what I was asking, and you know it. Stop evading me."

Reid flinches at the touch, but Hotch doesn't pull away. Finally, Reid just sighs. "I think I'm defective."

Hotch frowns. "What do you mean?"

"Why do all the freaks of the world decide to pick on me?" Reid almost sounds like he's pouting, but he can't think of a better way to phrase it. "Is it because they instinctively know I'm a bigger freak than they'll ever be?" He finally turns his gaze to Hotch. There's something akin to helpless fury in his eyes, and Hotch simply tightens his grip on Reid's hand. "What am I, Hotch? What am I that all these horrible people seem to zero in on me?" His voice rises until he's almost shouting. _"What am I?"_

When he's run out of steam, Hotch does the only thing he can think of and the last thing Reid would ever expect of him. He uses his grip on Reid's hand to pull the younger man into a tight embrace. Reid stiffens up completely at this unexpected invasion of his personal space before relaxing just a bit. Hotch reaches out to him, holding him together in more ways than one.

_You are my son. That is who you are._

_Hotch?_

_You said it before –we're family. Even before all this started, I knew you would be like a son to me. You're my son, and I will not let anything happen to you._

It takes a moment for Reid to process what has just been said. He knows it's true – he's always known – but knowing and hearing are two different things. Slowly, he hugs Hotch back.

Hotch's son. He likes that.

/-/

An: This is going to turn into a mini-story like Never to Return Again did. For those of you who are like me and don't speak Spanish, this is what the barista said: _He did not tell me his name. He is very tall and blue-eyed. I'm sorry._


	2. Chapter 2

My thanks to Idril Isil Gilgalad for helping me fix the Spanish in the last chapter (or rather, for fixing it for me). I am in your debt.

**The Replicator, Pt 2**

They thought they were safe at the mansion, that this stalker didn't know where they lived. They're wrong.

JJ, Prentiss, and Garcia are the first to arrive home. The boys decided to run some errands while they were out. So JJ goes into the kitchen while Prentiss and Garcia go upstairs to their rooms to change. JJ sets her purse down on the table and turns to the fridge before she notices it. Slowly, she turns back to the table.

There's a photo on it. At first, it looks like her, but a second look says it's not. This woman has a different body mass than JJ. Other than that, they could be twins. Slowly, JJ grabs the photo and takes a closer look.

This woman doesn't just look like JJ. She's dead. Her throat has been cut, and even in this close of a picture, JJ can see the back of her head has been surgically removed. JJ raises her hand to her mouth, her entire body starting to shake. She can feel the bile rising in the back of her throat.

In a flash Prentiss and Garcia are back down the stairs. Prentiss has her gun out; Garcia is keeping close behind her. Prentiss turns her attention to JJ. _You okay?_

_Look at this._ JJ holds up the picture. Now she notices the writing on the back of it. That same, familiar messy scrawl – _Abandon them, and you'll live._

Prentiss shakes her head. _Garcia, stay with her. I'm going to check the rest of the house._ She reaches out for the others. _Hotch, we have a problem._

_What's wrong? Is JJ okay?_

_Physically. Our stalker just turned into a murderer, and he knows where we live. Get back here, now._

_We're on our way._

JJ is shaken, but otherwise unharmed. It shakes the others up as well. The girls share a room together that night. Hotch walks into his room after checking on them and sees Reid sitting on his bed, staring at the wall. "Are you okay?"

"I just realized something."

Hotch sits down next to him. "What?"

"Step one is isolation." Reid glances over at him. "He's not targeting me. He's targeting the entire team." He takes a shaky breath. "I'm not sure if I should be happy about this or not, but he doesn't know I'm the freak. He's just taking wild guesses."

"So he's targeting each of us, waiting for one of us to just up and bail." Hotch muses.

"Pretty much." Reid says. "I didn't flinch, so now it's JJ's turn."

For a moment, they sit in silence. Then Reid speaks again. "Do you think he actually killed someone?"

Hotch sighs. He really doesn't want to answer that, but Reid won't accept his lies, either. "Probably. And I doubt he's done killing."

"Six more to go." Reid says flatly. "Then it's on to the real deal. I wonder if he'll stick to the same order."

"That would imply he actually cares about order, and I really don't think he does. I think he's just doing whatever comes into his head first."

"Disorganized."

"Yep."

"It's hard to profile someone from photos."

Hotch sighs. "Go to sleep Reid. I have a feeling tomorrow is going to suck."

Reid nods. "I'm going to stay with the girls."

Hotch smiles. "Keep them calm?"

The younger agent smirks. "Probably not, but at least they'll get a good laugh out of it."

/-/

By the time they are called in, three more people have died. Each one could pass as a twin to a team member, with the right clothes. Each one has had their throat cut and their brains removed. In addition to JJ's twin, there is now a look-alike for Morgan, Rossi, and Hotchner. Not for the first time, Hotch is glad Jack isn't here. This is the last thing his son needs.

Before they can really get started, another body pops up. This one is the spitting image of Garcia. Hotch sighs as he kneels beside the body. _Garcia, I don't want you seeing the pictures of this one._ he says softly. Back at the police station, he can sense Garcia tense up.

_It's me, isn't it?_

_Yeah. You don't need to see this._

_I do, sir. You guys have to. So should I._

He really should have known better. Of course Garcia is going to look. She knows how badly it scares every member of the team, to see these replicas of themselves dead and mutilated. She will not spare herself the same fate.

Of course, it gets worse when it's Prentiss, and again when the last one to die is Reid. Hotch watches as Reid just stands there, staring at the body of his replica (as they've taken to calling them) with a blank look on his face, like he can't quite process what he's seeing. Hotch is about to say something, anything to break the spell, but Reid speaks first.

"I think we need to reassess our opinion of him, Hotch. He's clearly organized."

"How do you mean?"

"Only two of the victims are locals. Garcia says the others have gone missing about the same time our pictures started showing up. That means he kidnapped seven people, controlled them, and stalked us over the course of a few months. Now he's killing them and dumping them here, right where we can find them." Reid shakes his head. "That requires a lot more organization than we gave him credit for."

Reid has a point, and Hotch hates it. The younger agent glances over at him, and Hotch can practically taste the fear. Organized killers are always far harder to catch – and rack up a higher body count – than disorganized killers.

The case isn't moving forward at all, so the team takes a break and heads to a bar for the night. Reid decides to leave early. Hotch agrees to go with him. They walk slowly together down the street, heading back to their hotel. Hotch glances over at him.

"How are you holding up?" he asks.

"About as well as you are." Reid looks up at the sky. "You heard the cop asking about the brains."

"Yeah, I heard." Hotch can't even pretend like that little detail about the crimes doesn't bother him. It's gotten his gut twisted up ever since they saw the picture of JJ. "I really hope that doesn't mean what I think it does."

"It does." Reid whispers. "If he finds us before we find him, he'll make us his own personal guinea pigs. We'll be lab rats."

Those words send a shiver down Hotch's spine.

Suddenly Reid spins around, eyes wide, mouth open to call out a warning to Hotch – and it's all far too late. A second later something hard slams against the back of Hotch's head, and everything goes dark.

/-/

AN: There will be one more chapter after this one, obviously. Oh, and the first story of the Children of the Shadows series is now up! Check it out, it's called **The Tendency Towards Compassion.**


	3. Chapter 3

And now for the final chapter.

**The Replicator, Part 3**

_Are you okay?_

Hotch takes a moment to consider that. His head is throbbing and he can barely see, but he can hear Reid just fine and the others are frantic balls of worry in the back of his mind. He makes an attempt to sit up. Reid helps him as much as he can. That's when Hotch discovers they're both chained to the ground, able to sit up and touch each other, but do little else. Chains wrap around their wrists and ankles. Hotch can only imagine what must have been done to force Reid into this position. _Yeah, I think. _

_Good. Because we're screwed._

Standing in the doorway of the little underground cellar they're in is their stalker. He's tall, taller even than Hotch, with a mess of dark hair and the bluest eyes Reid has ever seen. Add in a leather biker jacket, worn jeans, and a twelve-inch knife that looks more like a tanto than anything that belongs in a kitchen, and he makes one hell of an intimidating character.

Reid makes it a point to not be afraid. Instead he lifts his chin and keeps his hand wrapped firmly around Hotch's wrist, anchoring the older man until he can make his head stop spinning. "Who the hell are you?"

The man places a hand over his chest. "You don't recognize me? I'm hurt, Spencer Reid."

Reid rolls his eyes. "I know you've been stalking us, you ass, but who are you?"

_I really don't think it's a good idea to piss him off._ Hotch warns.

_Being weak will only make things worse. He's seeing which one of us will break first._ Reid replies. He sounds calm enough, but Hotch can sense the underlying panic starting to build in his youngest. Hotch can't see into the mind the way Reid can. Only Reid can see the horrors this stalker has planned for them.

The stalker smiles. "You may call me the Replicator."

"Replicator? What kind of a name is that?" Reid demands. "You haven't replicated anything. The name implies you would have copied something, but there's nothing of our previous cases in what you have done."

Replicator kneels down and looks Reid in the eye. "I've replicated you."

_Hotch, where the hell are you?_ Morgan sounds frantic and worried, and Hotch starts feeding him all the information he can gather from their surroundings. In addition, Reid starts informing Garcia of what he has pulled from the Replicator's mind. Between the two of them, they should be able to give the team enough information to find them.

The Replicator stands up. "Now, for the fun part – which one of you is the Awakener?"

That freezes both of them. "What are you talking about?" Hotch snarls.

Replicator smiles coldly. "You know exactly what I mean. Which one of you is born a freak?" He looks back and forth between the two of them. "I narrowed it down to one of you two. I know you guys can read each other's minds, but one of you should be able to read mine. So which one is it?"

Before Reid can speak, tell the man he's crazy or something (he hasn't decided what, exactly, he's going to say) Hotch speaks up.

"I am."

_The hell are you doing!_ Reid's head snaps around. His eyes are wide. _You can't tell him that! He'll kill you!_

_And he'll kill you too._ Hotch says quietly.

_Hotch!_

_I meant what I said._ Hotch glances over at him. _You're my son, and I won't let anything happen to you._

_And what about Jack? What's going to happen if this nut job kills you because you were trying to protect me?_ Reid's practically screaming at him now, and it's not doing much for Hotch's headache. On the other hand, Reid has an excellent point. It's not going to stop him, though.

Replicator watches them intently. "So this is what it looks like, to be an outsider. To see you guys speaking in front of me, and not be able to hear a thing. I wonder what you're coworkers think of you. You must be freaks." He grins. "So, Aaron Hotchner – you're the lead freak, then."

"I'm the leader of this team." Hotch says calmly. "It would make sense that I'd be the lead freak."

"Then tell me – what am I thinking?"

It takes only a second for Reid to fill him in, and the second-hand information is enough to make Hotch go even paler than he already is. "I'd rather not say. Honestly, I'd rather not know. You're pretty twisted."

There's nothing they can physically do. Replicator has them tied down too well for them to be able to stop him. These facts do nothing to stop Hotch's automatic reaction to raise his hands to block the knife swung at his face. He can't raise his hands high enough, but Reid has enough slack to twist his body into the path of the blade. The knife that should have cut into Hotch's face instead takes a bite out of the back of Reid's shoulder. He flinches, but makes no sound.

_Reid!_

_I can take it._ There's something dark in his eyes, and Hotch doesn't have to read his mind to know he's thinking of Hankle. _Please, let me do this._

_Hotch, we found him._ Prentiss says. _We're on our way._

_Hurry._ Hotch has never begged for anything in his life. He's threatened, bargained, but never begged. Right now, he feels like he's begging. Prentiss sends an affirmative.

All of this takes place in the few seconds it takes the Replicator to realize what Reid's done. Raw fury twists his features, and Hotch can do nothing but watch as Replicator grabs Reid and _slams_ him as hard as he can against the floor. Reid grunts, but Hotch can feel it as something snaps inside his youngest.

"Reid!" He struggles against his chains. "Dammit, leave him alone!" But the Replicator is on his knees, pummeling the younger agent with everything he has, and all Hotch can do is watch and scream. _"Stop it!"_

Suddenly, he does. He stops, fist raised in mid-swing. Hotch feels a small trickle of blood ooze from his nose, and suddenly he realizes what he's done. He grins. "Get away from him." Slowly, the Replicator does just that and backs away to his original position by the door.

Reid coughs. Blood splatters the floor. "You can't hold him like that forever." he says.

"I don't have to." Hotch replies. A moment later Reid becomes aware of footsteps pounding down the stairs. Morgan is the first one in the room. He quickly disarms and handcuffs an oddly compliant Replicator. Rossi shoves past him and goes directly to Hotch and Reid.

"Hotch?" Rossi leans in, looking the younger man over. He glances back at the Replicator. "Let him go. He's not a threat anymore." Hotch takes a shuddering breath and looks away, turning his gaze automatically to Reid. Morgan starts cursing rather impressively as the Replicator, no longer forced into submission, fights back. JJ helps him get the man up the stairs while Prentiss grabs the keys and undoes the chains holding Reid down.

"Damn, Reid, you look like someone beat the shit out of you." she says, helping him sit up. Reid tries to stand, but immediately curls back up, arms clamped around his sides. Prentiss kneels down. _Morgan, we need an ambulance. Reid can't stand, and I'm pretty sure Hotch isn't in any better condition._ She tosses the keys to Rossi, who quickly frees Hotch.

_You got it._ Morgan replies.

Rossi looks around. _What did this guy want with us, anyway? This wasn't just about killing us._

Reid shakes his head. _He was going to dissect us, cut into our minds until he found out what made us different. Force us to do things until he found out how far we could be pushed. He was gonna start with the Awakener. Guess he wasn't anticipating Hotch._

_How did you do that?_ JJ demands. _I didn't think we could._

_I don't know._ Hotch admits. _I just wanted him to stop, and he did._

Reid looks up at him. The ambulance has arrived. The medics are walking into the room, ready to cart them both away to the nearest hospital and thoroughly examine them both. Still, Reid looks directly at him, something dark and wholly innocent in his eyes, and Hotch can't help but smile.

Maybe now things can go back to normal for them.

**The End**

And the end of yet another awesome installment! Sorry for the long update time – life happened at the wrong moment. Bleh. Either way, keep a lookout for the Children of the Shadows series, and more from this lovely AU. Any ideas, PM them to me. I may use them.

Until next time, I remain yours truly,

Shadowblade-tara


End file.
